What Lutherans Believe

In the words of the classic Lutheran summary of faith, we believe that we are saved 'by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith'. In other words, there is nothing we can do to earn God's favour or to gain eternal life. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has won all this and more for us. We also believe that only the Bible is the source of inspiration and teaching.Some more......We believe ... that God created the universe and everything in it, and that he created humans as the crown of creation and as moral beings for a life of worship and service to God (Isaiah 43:7, Psalm 100).We believe ... that we turned our back on God's will and purposes (that is, we 'sinned'), and in our rebellious and sinful condition we stand helpless and hopeless under the judgement of God (Romans 3:12,23).

We believe ... that God gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of all of us, and that the good news of his love in Christ is for all people everywhere (John 3:16, Romans 3:24).

We believe ... that everyone who, by the working of the Holy Spirit, accepts in personal faith what Jesus Christ has done by his death on the cross and by his resurrection, receives forgiveness from God, becomes a child of God and a member of his church (Acts 16:31, Romans 3:22).

We believe ... that God has revealed eternal truth to us in his inspired, inerrant word, the Bible, and that it alone is the basis of the Christian faith (2 Timothy 3:15-17, John 17:17).

We believe ... that God offers his grace and forgiveness to all people, including infants, in the sacrament of baptism. We also believe that in the sacrament of the Lord's supper, the body and blood of Christ are given in, with and under bread and wine, as a further assurance of personal forgiveness to believers.

We believe ... that the word of God and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper are the means through which the Holy Spirit can work in people to give faith and spiritual life to them and to the church.

We believe ... that Christians, though still subject to sin and failure, will show love to God in a life of loving service to other people, practising forgiveness, kindness, patience, humility and unselfish service of others for Christ's sake.

We believe ... that Christians are called into the church to praise and worship God, to receive the Spirit's renewal for their faith, to strengthen their fellow believers, and to carry out God's mission of taking the good news of his saving love to all people.

We believe... that God will raise up all people on the last day and that every person who believes in Jesus as Saviour will be given eternal life.

We confess ... what we know from God's word as expressed in the Lutheran Confessions, which include the historic creeds (Nicene, Apostles and Athanasian), the Augsburg Confession and Luther's Small Catechism.

Lutheran Church of Australia

Our PeopleGovernment censuses indicate that about 250,000 Australians and New Zealanders identify as Lutheran. In practice, though, the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA), which includes the Lutheran Church of New Zealand (LCNZ), is a relatively small Christian denomination, with about 60,000 regular worshippers. By contrast, the worldwide Lutheran Church, with just over 70 million adherents, is the largest Protestant church in the world.

Our Mission

Our logo represents how we see ourselves as two nations under the Southern Cross, created by God, redeemed by Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve the people of our two nations and the world.

Our tagline, Where Love Comes to Life, reflects the heart and soul of our mission. In every district and department of the Lutheran Church of Australia, in every congregation and school, in every Australian and New Zealander who identifies as Lutheran, we want to be the place where love comes to life. In other words, we want people to see the love, grace, forgiveness and compassion of Jesus Christ coming to them through every place and every person in our church.